I have lost count of the number of times I have seen this. It is extraordinary in every way, and that is IN SPITE OF the fact that it appears to have been done as a B-movie on a limited budget and with limited expectations. First the story. A bratty young girl raised by her domineering father to win a medal in skating. Nothing new there. But add to the mix the idea that she needs a last-minute partner because she has burned through all the ready talent, and the best candidate appears to be an ex-hockey skater who can no longer play .. and now it starts to get interesting. Then factor in some of the best on-screen chemistry in recent memory ... and presto, before you can say JACK ROBINSON, we are suddenly in the big leagues in spite of the small budget. One of the tightest scripts ever, with a double climax at the end. (To this day, every skating teacher and skating student will break out laughing when you say "toepick" with that certain special intonation.) Moira Kelly and D. B. Sweeny give the performances of their lives yet, ASTONISHINGLY, don't even seem to realize it. (They were young and probably thought that bigger and better parts were ahead of them -- but history will show that, unfortunately, did not happen). Succeeds on so many levels -- as a sports story, as story of personal redemption, and absolutely kills as a love story. More recently the Disney people, realizing that they had overlooked this gem, tried to monetize it with some belated sequels, but lightening seldom strikes twice. A one of a kind guilty pleasure, iconic, capable of being watched over and over, a film that never gets old, and never fails to capture the imagination or steal your heart. A perfect "10." ------------------------------------------------------------
Update Oct 14: The good news is that Disney has grudgingly acknowledged just how good this film is by creating a franchise. Of sorts. The bad news is that, while entry #2 and #3 are OK (but still a pale imitation of the original), #4 is barely watchable at all. Out of curiosity this writer found a copy of the original and re-watched. No, all those who gave this a perfect "10" were not crazy. On re-watching, the tightness of the script, with many clever double-entendres, shines; as does Kelly's ability to deliver some of the best reaction shots in the history of the medium. Chemistry to spare. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))
Update Oct 14: The good news is that Disney has grudgingly acknowledged just how good this film is by creating a franchise. Of sorts. The bad news is that, while entry #2 and #3 are OK (but still a pale imitation of the original), #4 is barely watchable at all. Out of curiosity this writer found a copy of the original and re-watched. No, all those who gave this a perfect "10" were not crazy. On re-watching, the tightness of the script, with many clever double-entendres, shines; as does Kelly's ability to deliver some of the best reaction shots in the history of the medium. Chemistry to spare. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))